‘Most of us are normal people’
People willing to help
Steven Eastman is now living in a halfway house but said he was homeless for many years. The stereotype of homelessness is “people’s mental faculties are diminished,” said Eastman, originally from Ogden, Utah.
He disputes that perception. “I’ve met some of the most intelligent people who are homeless.”
While Eastman said some people in Santa Fe are judgmental and cruel to the homeless, overall the “general public is genial.”
“This is a good place to be homeless, because there’s a lot of people here willing to help,” he added.
Getting her life together
Dorinda, an activist opposing domestic violence who previously lived in Taos, spends time at the Interfaith Community Shelter at Pete’s Place in Santa Fe.
“I came here for shelter and to get my life together and away from the people abusing me,” she said.
Dorinda, who declined to give her last name, said she lived in a violent area in Taos near the home of a known child molester. For this reason and others, she moved to Santa Fe, she said, adding she was homeless for one year but recently obtained housing in the city.
Though she has low literacy skills, she said, she plans to pursue her GED certificate next year.
A cultural stigma
Most people assume “everyone who’s homeless is a druggie or psychotic,” said a woman who only gave her first name, Karen, and said she has been homeless in Santa Fe for about four months.
In reality, she said, “75 percent of us are those who have fallen on hard times, even though I hate that term. We just need a place to stay so we can get where we’re supposed to be.”
Most people assume those experiencing homelessness are uneducated, she said, but she has a degree in geography.
“Really, most of us are normal people,” Karen said. Homelessness “just has such a cultural stigma.”
‘Houseless’
“Your home is where your heart is, so you’re houseless, not homeless,” said Colby Johnson, 27, who has been living on the streets since 2011.
Johnson said he grew up in “the gang life” near Gallup.
Working toward a better future
Kim, who declined to give her last name, said she earned an associate degree and master’s degree before becoming homeless two years ago. She’s living in her car.
“If it weren’t for Pete’s Place, I couldn’t make it,” Kim said, adding she spends her days studying for board certification exams at the Southside Branch Library and getting meals at the shelter. She wouldn’t elaborate on the certification she is pursuing.
With winter coming up, Kim said, she’s fearful of being on the streets. Last year, she said, she spent about $200 a month on gasoline so that she could run her car heater overnight to avoid freezing.
“People don’t know what it’s like until they’re forced into that situation,” she said.